Many advances have been made in the area of ophthalmic surgery in recent years. In particular, lasers are being used more and more frequently in certain ophthalmic surgical procedures. For example, an ophthalmic surgical laser may be utilized to remove cataracts, re-shape the cornea, or the like. When providing therapy with the laser, one procedural aspect is to provide one or more reference points for aligning the laser. An accurate positioning of the eye in relationship to the laser allows the laser beam to be directed with a high degree of accuracy.
Devices have been constructed to stabilize the eye in relation to the laser. One example is a patient interface device. Patient interface devices typically have a corneal interface end and an attachment end for coupling to the laser. The corneal interface end is temporarily secured to a patient's cornea, and then the laser is docked to the attachment end to subsequently provide therapy. The corneal interface end typically uses a clear lens or interface glass to contact the cornea. This patient interface device is suited to stabilizing the eye and providing a fixed reference for accurate alignment of the laser with the patient's cornea. However, this and other patient interface devices lack mechanisms or tools that facilitate centering the interface device with respect to the patient's cornea. In some conventional patient interface devices, docking of the laser can be impeded by a limited field of view and/or the accumulation of moisture on the lens or interface contacting the cornea.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and method for interfacing a surgical laser with an eye and having a centering aid. It is also desirable to provide a system for interfacing a surgical laser with an eye that enhances viewing through the patient interface device. More particularly, it is desirable to provide a system for interfacing a surgical laser with an eye that assists in imaging, illuminating, or both imaging and illuminating a desired region of the eye. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a system for interfacing a surgical laser with an eye that increases the field of view and/or reduces moisture accumulation during patient interface. Additionally, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.